The first semi-final ended in a way everyone expected, and in a way no one did.
Lucifer won. That much was inevitable. The Child of Prophecy, the destined victor, the shining prodigy of the North. He stepped into the ring, and he left as he always did—unshaken, unchallenged.
And yet, Rachel had stood against him. Not merely fought, not merely struggled—stood. She had shattered the limits imposed on her, reached out and seized power beyond what should have been possible. Her light had clashed against his, and for a brief, impossible moment, she had almost overwritten his order with her own.
She had nearly forced her way to White-rank, and even though she lost, she proved something that no one had dared consider before.
Lucifer wasn't untouchable.
Which meant now it was my turn.
Ren Kagu was waiting for me in the second semi-final, and I could already feel his eyes on me from across the arena.
